As soon as Esau learns that Jacob has received his father’s blessing, he understands that he has been deceived and supplanted by his brother (Genesis 27:36), and he wants to kill him (Genesis 27:42). Rebekah is worried and wants to prevent this crime that would be fatal for both sons (Genesis 27:45). So, with the support of Isaac (Genesis 28:5), she urges Jacob to flee to her family (Genesis 27:43). On his way to exile, Jacob encounters God in a dream at a place that he will call Bethel, “the house of God,” and there will make a vow.

Image © Elfred Lee at Goodsalt.com

Read Genesis 28:10-22. Compare with Genesis 11:1-9. How is Bethel different from Babel? What lesson can we learn about our relationship with God from Jacob’s experience at Bethel versus what happened at Babel?

In this dream, Jacob sees an extraordinary ladder that is connected with God. The same Hebrew verb, natsav, is used to refer to the ladder that is “set up” (Genesis 28:12, NKJV) and the LORD who “stood” (Genesis 28:13, NKJV), as if the ladder and the LORD are the same thing.

The ladder is linked to the attempt at Babel to reach heaven. Like the Tower of Babel, the ladder reaches the “door of heaven.” But while the Tower of Babel represents the human effort to go up and reach God, the ladder of Bethel emphasizes that access to God can be achieved only through God’s coming to us, and not through human effort.

As for the “stone” on which Jacob has put his head and had his dream, it becomes the symbol of beth-El, “the house of God” (Genesis 28:17; compare with Genesis 28:22), which points to the temple, the sanctuary, the center of God’s saving activity for humanity.

Yet, Jacob does not limit to the spiritual and the mystical his expression of worship and sense of awe concerning what had happened to him. That is, he wanted to respond in concrete, outward terms. Thus, Jacob decides to “give a tenth” to God, not in order to obtain God’s blessing but as a grateful response to God’s gift, which has already been given to him. Here again we see the idea of tithe long before the rise of the nation of Israel.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Key Thought: Because Jacob deceived his father and steals the blessing from his brother, he has to flee for his life. Jacob receives deception as well, yet he will also receive God’s blessing. God fulfils His covenant promises regardless of how often His people fail.
May 28, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 25: 21-34.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What qualities of Jacob predispositioned him to be more worthy than Esau of Isaac’s blessings?
3. Personal Application: Did God know Jacob would deceive his father? Is that the way God wanted Jacob to receive the birthright? How else would he have gotten the birthright and blessings if he hadn’t been deceitful? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Is it ever good to lie or do something bad in order that good may result from it?’” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Genesis 29:20-30.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How and why does God allow for Laban’s deception? What lessons did Jacob learn?
3. Personal Application: How can we avoid justifying doing something bad so that good may come? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How can I learn to trust God when I don’t see justice being done, when people do evil and get away with it, or when we see innocent people suffer?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Genesis Genesis 30:15-22..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. How are we to understand the meaning of what takes place here?
3. Personal Application: How does this story reveal that God’s purpose will be fulfilled despite human errors? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Why was there so much contention between the two sisters? Why does it say that God opened their wombs and remembered them? Why was Leah favored by God when she was the wife of her father’s deception? Rachel was favored by Jacob, but only had two sons by him. Was this God’s plan, or His making the best of a bad situation?” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Genesis 30:25-32.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is going on here, and what kind of reasoning does Jacob use? What is Laban’s response?
3. Personal Application: What evidence do we see in the story of Jacob that he was growing in his character? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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